This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Woe Canada, three are down and out

It didn't take long for three of Canada's hopes to crash out of the Rogers Cup.

Quebec's Stephanie Dubois exits the court after losing to Italy's Roberta Vinci Aug. 17, 2009. "Today was not a good day for me," said Dubois. (CARLOS OSORIO / TORONTO STAR) | Order this photo

By Kevin McGranSports Reporter

Tues., Aug. 18, 2009

It didn't take long for three of Canada's hopes to crash out of the Rogers Cup.

Quebec's Stephanie Dubois fell to Italy's Roberta Vinci while London, Ont.'s Heidi El Tabakh lost a close one to Australia's Samantha Stosur and Valerie Tetreault, also of Quebec, fell to Agnes Szavay in opening matches of the women's national tennis tournament.

Dubois, ranked 122nd, had trouble with her serve in her 6-1, 6-2 loss to the 45th ranked player in the world.

"Today was not a good day for me," said Dubois, who got a wild-card berth into the tournament. "I made a lot of mistakes. It's not fun to have those matches, but sometimes they happen."

El Tabakh won a couple of matches over the weekend to get into the main draw for the first time. She fell 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) to Stosur.

Article Continued Below

"It's been a good week for me," said El Tabakh. "I just kind of proved to myself that I do belong in this level. I feel very confident, and it's going to help my career with the couple of wins I had here."

NO PRESSURE: One Canadian remains in the main singles draw, Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que. She faces Russia's Alisa Kleybanova today in a first-round match.

No Canadian has won this tournament in 40 years, but Wozniak doesn't feel any extra pressure to perform well.

"I'm proud of being Canadian, and hopefully when the time is right I can win here at home," she said.

CANADIAN CONTENT: The Canadian content on WTA Tour continues to gain prominence.

David Shoemaker of Ottawa was named president of the tour, assuming the post vacated by Stacey Allaster of Welland.

Shoemaker's new job puts him in charge of the tour's overall day-to-day operations, tournament and player relations, and international TV and digital media rights.

Allaster was promoted to chief executive officer and chair of the tour's board of directors earlier in the summer. Shoemaker had been the tour's chief operating officer.

Delivered dailyThe Morning Headlines Newsletter

The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please contact us or see our privacy policy for more information.

More from the Toronto Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com